The Seremi of Public Works, Paulo De la Fuente, confirmed today Tuesday that, in April, they will call for tenders for the preparation of an air demand study, a diagnosis that will allow for objective data to justify the execution of the investments required by the terminal. air to serve commercial flights.
The study responds to the local longing for several years to have air connectivity, in which some airlines have tried, without success, to open an air route, where one factor has been the deficiencies in infrastructure and services at the Bernardo O’Higgins aerodrome. Precisely, last year, Sky Airlines expressed its interest in carrying out three weekly flights and they still hope that the aerodrome will be in a position to receive them. In this context, in June 2023, Minister Jéssica López committed to “promote whatever is necessary to advance on that path.”
De la Fuente indicated that, “we asked our Airports Directorate to develop a diagnosis and analysis of air demand for the General Bernardo O’Higgins Aerodrome in Chillán. This basic study is in the presentation stage to the Ministry of Social Development to obtain the RS (favorable recommendation), to be able to tender in April of this year for its execution in 2024-2025. “The study considers origin-destination surveys to collect demand information from and to the area of influence,”
He explained that, “currently, the aerodrome is mainly dedicated to pilot training, sports operations and forest fire extinguishing. Historical statistics have not recorded passengers transported in Chillán for many years, therefore, there is not enough passenger demand data to allow a reliable future projection to be made.”
“There is a proposal to be able to have commercial aviation operate at this airfield. This approach has been going on for more than five years, according to what our Airports Directorate tells us, and it gained more strength with the arrival of the low-cost model to Chile. When analyzing the technical requirements of the infrastructure for commercial aviation to operate, it is seen that it is necessary to carry out some works on the horizontal and vertical infrastructure, which implies developing aerodrome improvement projects, which are evaluated with a given cost-benefit approach. the nature of the works,” he contextualized.
He added that, “as there is no demand data to support the above, we have ordered this study to be carried out that seeks to collect, systematize and analyze the demand information to and from the area of influence of the aerodrome that supports the demand projections to be made, based on the competitiveness that commercial passenger air transport might offer for certain air routes such as, for example, Santiago – Chillán; Puerto Montt – Chillán, among others, which will be studied in the consultancy. Furthermore, based on the results of the demand projection, the social benefits and the maximum investment that an expansion and improvement project might have on the aerodrome will be estimated to make it socially profitable.”
In that sense, the seremi maintained that the study will determine the works that are required. “Based on the results of the study, it will be possible to plan in the medium and long term the works required by the aerodrome for the operation of large-scale commercial aviation, based on the projection of demand and related to the response and interest of the aviation agents. air transport market, and thus, in the future, a pre-investment and investment process might begin to incorporate the air transport mode to the Ñuble region and its area of influence.
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